Mining-machine.



R. E. NOBLE.

Y MINING MACHINE. APPLIO'ATION P-ILED APILZB, 1909.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

a SHEETS-SHEET l.

R. E. NOBLE. MINING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.23, 19-09.

' 1,019,722. Patented Mar.5,1912.-

3' SHEETS-SHEET 2.

long -7 machines, nd; a is this type 1, perform such'iiethei m "j Further-advantages of," lnventi rp eapartsi rdkenaway-fior' con "vemens'zeine ll s A. 3 5350f tbe 'sme'; Fig; 3] 'a lon itudinal section'takeii substantially on -Ithe line- 343M .Fig.- 1; Fig' 3* is aj'vertical'seotional- View drum 58.' Fig I tiontaksnon theline of guide sheaves or pulleys; and Figs. 8- 'to"16,'

UNITED STATES r TnNT onFIo mm 11 NOBLE, or em case; rumors, assrsivoa TO nontmn-eannmta nnncrnrc- COMPANY, orcnrcaeo, rumors.

Minn-iia rt-aermm 1,019,722.], I Specification ctj jlietter's. lfatent." Patent dM gj, 1912. a 7' ,n fieati'tn filed A ril teale091 Seri q 1.Ho.491,807."

v To all whbqri iimazy 1 I"achine inconnection with the pulling and kno n that. I, RarrnEJNonmg-a citizenof the United State's,'residing at Chi-= cage, in the county'of Cook and State of Illinois; have invented-certain new and use-- ful' Im 'rovements in, Mining-Machines,-'of' which't e following is a'specification. "Thisinventionrelates to machines used in, connection with mining, or the like, and-itis particularlyapplicable to that type of machines used for coal mining' and com monly known as'chain machines onaccount' of their being provided with chains carrying cutting bits or cuttin channels orykeris in the coal. When'suc machines are cbn.- stru'cted so has 'to undereut-the co'al along it; considerable distance, fobinstance, along the sides of a room, they are 'usi'ially lmown as 0 "of,mach-ine which. I; have illustrated as eml 'bodying the principal 'ffeaiiu'res 9f 3 my inven l tionl Y The objects of this -in' vention are to Q ;vide a simple, compaet'and'eflic'ient niacin 5; for cutting coal andtocombine with such I a machine novf'el' Imean'sffor moving or him-- dling the-same,"as forii st'anee, when it is be moved. from its :carrying; carer-truck to the-faceof-the coal andagainreturhed the car,*a'nd also tor feeding'ormoving the a machine longitudinally. toward the.\- face-fogf the'co'a'l to make. ani'initial or s umping gut and laterally along' 'tlie face-o f the doalwheh it is making-Ithe main "cut; to'-'- withdraw =Mthe cutterban fig; l

p cvenieflts I L chine as niayfhecdesirableg" h an; sin-w ppear from ,the following description and I; awomp g. w- 2g n 1 which ratio Fig.2 is aside view showing the gears forldrivingi the winding 4 is a detail 'lonlgitudinalfsec ig. 1'; Fig-p is an end view'of so'me'of the arts shown in Fig. 4 Fig 6 and 7 are detai s of one, of theinclusive-are diagrammatical views the method of operation-l ef {my Improv" -m0uhted on a sleeve 22 which in. turnis when the plug 24 is m position, 1t will drive the sprocketwheel 26 which in turn drives gmlrely to the frame 17. 1

1' iii EI 'have provided certain cahletor rope wind.

integral therewith, svhich Jroll'eror sheave35 is-mounted on an arm 36 idi g ropes orcables.

'-.-iesents a substantial frameor housing for the main operative parts of the miningmachine, this frame being adapted to be slid along on the ground or floor of the mine in order to "move it from its temporary carry- '-,ing",truck to theiface of the coal and also [when making the cut; At about the center of the frameorhousin 17 is mounted a moftor 18 which is provi ed, at the lower end 'of it's driving shaftq19, with a: pinion 20.

This pin'ion engageswith a gear 21 rigidly loosely mounted on astub-shaft-23 having suitable bearingsin the frame 17. ,The gear @121 is provided with a removableplug or en gaging piece '2 l which is adapted to engage with an upwardly projecting arm 25 'on a 7.5 sglocket 26 which rigidly mounted on the s -aft :23;'t he arrangement being such that the shaft 23. This sprocket wheel also drives .the cutter-ehai'n27 which is mounted on a chain guide 28 in any ordinary or; preferredmanner, this guide being fastened sehedriving apparatus thus far described pletes the means for operating the coal cutting mechanism; it being understood, of urse, that a motor is provldedwith a suitle controller and connections for supply a it with an electric current n;;order to move the machmeas a whole,

ing apdguiding. devices which will now be upper-end a'p'inion 29, preferably mildew? t 1 fi a getti- 30 mounted'fbhtli'e lower end of ashaft 131 which. extends "upr athrqugh' the frame or h nsing'l'? and, carriesi'at its top a'capstan or windlass' 3e; A ide'jrcller 33' is also -,n'rfiuted on the topo -tl1e""lra;me 17 adjacent .to the Windlass 32', and I havealjso provided a snubbir'zg. post 34; also-securelymou tdfon' this .end of the frame; A secon fgliide m at one corner of' the frame, as indicated-in "i'and 2, soithat it may be swung to different positions, The motor pinion 20. "also engages ,Witha gear 3'! securely mounte'd'on-ashaft 38 in theinner or'opposite (m ldv of the frame, this shaft being provided with a worm 39 which engages with a worm gear 40,0n a horizontal shaft 41 best seen in Figs. 4 and 5. A gear 42 is loosely mounted,on .5 the shaft 41 and is adapted to be driven thereby through the medium of a clutch.

The clutch illustrated comprises a collar 43 securely mounted on the shaft 41, this collar bearing a longitudinallymovable sleeve 44 carrying one or more pairs of rollers 45 which engage with slots in the end of sand sleeve, one of the rollers of'each pair also beingadapted toengage with slots 46 in the hub of-the gear 42 when-the clutch is in operative position.

In order to move the sleeve 44, I have provided a shifter yoke 47 which is moved by means of short crank arms 48 mounted on a shaft '49, which shaft is turned by means of a lever 50, thearrangement being such that when the lever 50 is moved in one direction,

'itwill throw the rollers so that they will enga e the gear 42 and turn the same-with the s aft, and when thrown in the opposite direction, the rollers will be moved back into the slots in the sleeve 43', leaving the gear 'irfree. The gear 42 meshes with a gear51 loosely mounted on a shaft 52 which has its supports in the frame 17, this shaft being securely keyed in its supports so that it does fnot turn. A combined disk and supporting member53 is securely mounted on the shaft 52 and is provided with one or more studs 54 upon which are loosely mounted pinions 55 which engage with the teeth of a pinion 56.0n the hub of the gear 51 and also with the teeth of an internal gear 57 in the projecting end of a winch or winding drum 58. This winding drum is mounted at one end on an inwardly projecting hub from the frame, and at the other end, on the supporting member53, and is freeto turn thereon.. It will be noted from this arrangement that when the gear 51 is turned, the pinion 56 on the hub thereof will turn the, small gears 55 which in turn will drive the drum 58 through ,the internal gear 57. A cable or rope 59 has one endsecured tothe drv n 58, and its outer or free end is guided b meansof a sheave or pulle 60. This s cave is mounted as shown in igs. 6 and 7, so that it may be turned to stand in a vertical plane, or may be turned either to the right or-left in a substantially horizontal lane, depen*l-' ing u on the direction in wii block 61, thls open end being curved to al 7 low for thetu rn of the block. The inner end 6: 0f the frame 17 is also provided with'a.

the tendshoy ich the cable 59 is irected; For this purpose, the sheavev or pulley 60, 1s supported in a block 61 hav' "for instance, such as indicated at 67 in Figs.

8 and 16. Whenthe truck, with the machine thereon, has been brought into the room, as indicated-in Fig. 8, to approxi? 'mately' the end of the. railway'track,' the truck is. blocked or held in position, and the machine must then be moved from the truck to the face of the coal. These machines are comparatively heavy, and in order to thus move. the machine from' the truck to the faceof the coal, a stake, or other means for attachment of a rope, 1s placed adjacent to the wall and preferably in the corner of ,the room, as indicated at 68. One end of'a rope 69 is fastened to this stake and is then passed around the guide roller 33 and around the Windlass 32, and its free end is then drawn tight by the'operator, which causes the portion between the stake and the machine to be tightened and gradually moves the machine forward until the cutter frame is in position for operation". While this method of moving the machine forward might suflice to drive the cutting portion against the coal with sufficient force to enable the forward or initial cut-to -be made, I prefer to use a different methodfor feeding the machine forward for making his out. One such method'is indicated, in 'g: 9, in which the cable 59, which is referably made of steel rope, is rove around he sheave 60 and then around the sheave 64 and fastened to the stake68, Then, as the drum 58 is turned, this will exert a powerful pull on the cable and thereby forcibly direct the cuttinglmechanism againstthe coal. I con-v sider t is particulararrangement for making the initial or sumping cut asone' of the important features of this invention inasmuch as it provides means-wherebyvsuch initial cut may usually be made without the" use of any jacks, uide shoes, or other addi tional parapherna ia. It will-be ndted that, withthe machine arranged in thismanner, 'of the cutting bits, which "are driven in the direction indicated by pointing of the bits inFig. 1, is vto move the inwardly extending end of the cutter machine out of alinement is largelvover- 180 come, and the operator; can, in most instances,.by properly placing the jack and positioning the machine'at the commencement of the cut,'.make this initial cut without the use of any auxiliary guiding me'ans whatever, such as guide ropes, jacks, or the On account of. this he is enabled to like. operate the machine with great rapidity and with little or no ,loss of 'timein making the initial'cutpreparatory for the main cutting operation along the-wall; In. some instances,

as Where the coal or material ,to.be cut is.

usually hard, I may combine the use'of'both the cable andthe rope, for instance as indicated in Fig. 10. In this instance, there 'is also afurtherslight modification in that a sheave 70-is secured to] the stake or holder 68, or otherwise held adjacent to the face o ffthe coal, and the rope 69 has oneend attached to the. blockof this sheave. The

rope isthen rove around the sheave 64', then around the sheave and back around the guide. roller 33 to'the capstan or Windlass.

32. The cable 59 passes directly from' the sheave 60 to "a second stake or fastening device 71. By means ofthis arrangement,

qwher thedrum 58-is' turned and the rope 69- is tightenedso that it will be drawn in "by the capstan or Windlass, they will both act to move the machineforward so that its cutting mechanismv will be forced into and under the coalto make the initial,cut.'-.

'. When the frame, carryingthe cutter cha in hasmoved in its full length underthe coal,

the machine is then movedlaterally to make the out along the face of the room. When this cut is to be made, a stake or fastening,

device 72 is placed at some distance aheadof the machine, adjacent to the face which is being cutand preferably at the opposite corner of the room. Theend of the cable .59 is then secured 'to this stake and the drum '58 turned, which winds up-the cable, thereby drawing the -machine forward to make the desired cut.

- J i In order to guide the machine it moves forward, the rope 69 "is wound aroundthe snubbing post 34 and the-freeend held .by

= the operator, so that by drawing on the same it will be tightened around. the ost, thereby tending to hinder or step t e forward movement of the outer end of the frame, and by the proper manipulation of this rope, to-

gether with the control of the winding drum. 58, the operator is enabled to carefully guide.

the machine alongthe face of the room and to keep the cutting portion at its full depth under the coal which is being undercut. The operator by holdin the free end of the rope and paying it to t e snubbmg post "hasthe machine under constant control all times and is readily apprised of any'undlie1ob struction to the cutting devices and any consequent undue the machine, and may mstantly rel eve strain placed u on the machine by loosening the tension.

on the free end of: the roperIBy ,means of lZhIS' arrangement it will be seen thatthe snubbing post slides along the rope and is in frictional engagement therewith. While suchja post forms a preferred means for reducing a sliding friction on the rope yet it will be "a parent that some other form of device mig t be used in placethereof. The result which is desired being to put a sufiicient friction directly on the ropeso that it will retard'the outer end of the machine. ,In some. instances it may become necessary or desirable to withdraw the cutter bar from under the coal after themachine has proceeded for some distance along the face of the room. In order to .doithis, the cable 59 maybe slightly loosenedand then passed around the guide sheave 35, as

indicated in Fig. 12, the rope- 69 being free 'from the snubbing post, and the drum 58 then turned. ,This will causelthe frame to be swung around as indicated,thereby exposing-the principal portion of the cutter chain and its supporting frame. Another .method of doing this is indicated in Fig. 13,-

in which the rope 69 is removed from the stake 68 and its end brought forward and secured to afstake orIsuppo'rt 73 in front of;

the machine and its free end then wound around the'caps'ta'n 32 so thatby tightening the free end it will causethe outer part. of the frame to be swung around as indicated,

the drum 58 in the meantime remaining sta-' tionary, When the machine is to be swung back intd cutting position, this maybe accomplished as indicated inFig. 14 by means,

of the rope 69 which'in this -case is wound" around the capstan so that the 'outier end of the frame-may be drawn back asi'nd'ieated.

After He out has been completed, the. machine for instance as indicated in Fi 16;

While these diagrammatic vlews illustrate various ways of operating iafi"e he machine by means of one or both of t swun around and drawn back onto the-truck 67 y means of the rope ,69, l

ropes, it is 'obh vious that the roes may be arranged in a other ways, if ,des1re'd,"in order to move or a control the machine, and such illustrations are merely intended to indicate ina general way the method of operation of my invenma'de ifi't' the generalconstruction without depart-mg fromthe spirit of this invention, and there fore I do not wish to be limited to the'ez'tact arrange ents or details shown and described; 'ut

' I What 35 claim and desire tolsecure by Let tion. It s also obvious that changes maybe lie 'arran'ge'ment of the 'parts and in I a cable'engaging with said drum and adapted to be used for pulling said machine when the drum is turned, a capstan mounted at the opposite end of said frame, a rope adapted to be engaged by said capstanforullmg 'said machine, means f r turning said drum and means forturning said 'capstan- 2. Ina mining machine, the combination of a frame, a cutting device at one end of said frame, a winding drum mounted on said frame adj acent to the end carrying the cutting device, a cable engaging with said drum the other end drawn so that it will engage closely with-the capstan, guide sheaves for said rope mounted on said frame, means for turning said winding drum, and means for turning said capstan.

3. In a machine of the character dc-V scribed, the combination with the frame thereof, of means for applying power to the end of the frame adjacent to the cut-ting.

apparatus for feeding the machine forward, a guide rope having one end anchored behind the machine, and a snubbing post 'on the outer end of the frame, adapted to be engaged by said rope for controlling the movement of the machine.

4:, A-coal mining machine having a feeding mechanism for feeding the machine forwardalong the face of the wall, consisting in a forwardly projectingfeeding cable and means on said machine for winding up said v "of means adapted to exert a'pull on the machine adjacent tothe wall for moving the vmachine forward, a support in the rear of the machine, a rope engaging with said sup-.

cable, and a controlling device comprising a guide rope having one endfixed at a point behind the machine and a snubbing post on the outer end of said machine, with which said rope isadapted to engage, the arrangement being such that the operator may hold the free end of the rope after it has been passed around the snubbing post while keeping adjacent to themachine.

5.'Ina miningmachine, the combination of a frame, a chain su'pportf extending from one end of said frame, amo'tommounted 1n said frame, a cutter chain engaging with said support and driven by'said motor, a

winding drum mounted between said motor and the end of the frame carrying said chain support, gears for driving said drum from said mgtor, a clutch connelc ted with said gears for controlling the .mov ment of said drum,a cable engaging with said drum, means for holding the outer end of said cable so Copies 0! this patent maybe obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of l'atents,

that the machine'jwill move when the drum is turned, acapstan mounted on the opposite end ofsaid frame from said drum, gears for 'di'iving, said capstan from saidmotor, a

.rope,:means'for securing one end of said when it is passed around the capstan and the free end drawn tight, the machine will be moved, and guide-sheaves or rollers-for said cable and rope.

p 16. In a mining machine, the combination of a'slidable frame or housing, an electric motor havingia vertical shaft mounted centrally in said housing, a pinion on said shaft, a gearengaging with said pinion, a vertical shaft driven by said gear, a worm on said shaft, aworm gear engaging with said- ..wcrrn; a horizontal shaft driven by said worm gear, a second gear loosely mounted on said lastrnamed shaft, a clutch for driving said gear from said shaft, a gear loosely mounted on a horizontal shaft and engaging with said lastnamed car, a pinion on the hub of said last-name gear, a support from said shaft carrying one or more idler gears engaging wlth said pinion, and a winding drum having an internal gear engaging'with said idler gears.

7. The combination of a frame, a cutting apparatuscarried thereby, a winding reel on the inner end of the frame, a cable on said .reel for propelling the machine when it is in operation, adapted to be fastened to a stationary-holder in advance thereof, a, guide rope secured at one end to a stationary holder in the rear of the machine and means cn the machine to be frictionally and slidably engagedby the rope for retarding the outer endof the machine.

8. In a mining machine, the combination port, and means on the machine to be'frictionally and slidably engaged by the rope for reta'rdmg the'outer end of the machine the amount of such friction being under control of the operator. I

9. In a mining. machine, the combination of means adapted to exert a pull on the machine adjacentta the wallfor moving the machine forward, a rope having one end anmachine and stationary means on thdhi chine adapted to be frictionally and slidably engaged by the ropc.

' :RALPI-I E." NOBLE. Witnesses: V

I M. W. MINTZ, R. VVISIMAN.

Washington, D, G.

'chored for retarding. the outer end of the 

